The Problem Child
by angelaask
Summary: BTVSStargate crossover. Sam meets her estranged sister after years apart. My response to the TTH Problem Child Challenge
1. Prologue

Title: The Problem Child  
Author: angelaask  
Pairing: None so far  
Summary: Sam meets her estranged sister after years apart. My response to the Problem Child Challenge.  
Disclaimer: I own nothing. This story is for pure entertainment purposes and not for profit.  
Spoiler: Buffy season 7 and SG season 4

AN: This is my response to The Problem Child Challenge. I have never written a buffy-centric fic before, but I was intrigued by the title alone and the plot bunnies multiplied.

Prologue:

Captain Samantha Carter found herself standing in the middle of a playground with no idea how she had gotten there. It was getting darker by the minute as the sun dipped low behind the horizon, casting the sky in mauve twilight. Sam surveyed her surrounding and found the playground in woefully need of repair. The rusty slide had begun to fall down in disrepair and an old swing hanging from a broken chain clinked gently in the wind. The place was deserted except for one lone child playing in the sandbox as she hummed softly to herself. The girl wore a satin white dress with pink frills along the edge with her fine strawberry blond hair braided into a long French braid that fell along the small of her back. Sam was disturbed that such a small child was left alone in such a dangerous place and she felt the urgent need to get them both inside before night fall. She was about call out to the girl when she suddenly recognized the song that the girl was humming. It was an old Norwegian lullaby that her mother used to sing to her when she was little. Then suddenly Samantha knew the child's name. "Lizzy," she called.

The last remnants of her dream echoed through Sam's mind as she woke up alone to a dark bedroom. The digital alarm clock blinked 3:00 am and the blonde groaned in frustration. She had to report to Stargate Command at six hundred hours and she had only a few precious hours of sleep. The work at SGC was rewarding but the hours where long and hard. Restless, Sam left her warm comfortable bed to get a glass of water. The dream, which felt more like a memory, left her unsettled. Already the details of the dream were fading from her conscious mind but the sense of urgency remained. Sam was perplexed. After all this time, why would she dream of Elizabeth now? She hadn't seen her younger sister in almost ten years and her mind clouded over with memories that she hadn't thought about in a long long time.

Their mother's death had hit them all hard but Elizabeth appeared to have suffered the most. Sam loved her mother, but she was daddy's little girl and Lizzy had always been her mother's precious baby girl. When she was younger Sam had resented the extra attention that her mother lavished on Elizabeth and grew bitter as any normal hormonal teenage girl would. Sam was sixteen when one rainy night a drunk driver stolen their mother from them forever, but Elizabeth was only four. Sam had at least some memories of their mother while Elizabeth was left with nothing but a few precious years.

Once their mother was gone both Sam and her father had trouble relating to Lizzy. Sam tried but there was over ten years difference in age between the two siblings and she was still grieving too. She was still a child herself and she couldn't be the mother that Lizzy so desperately needed.

Sam loved science, was an excellent student and was consider the apple of their father's eye. On the other hand, Elizabeth was the exact opposite. Lizzy, a free spirit, hated school and had no interest in anything that had to do with science or the military. Her father, a stern military man, disapproved and only aggravated the situation by imposing strict rules on Elizabeth in an attempt to reign in his most troublesome daughter. While Sam was exalted as the rising star in the family poor Lizzy was treated as the dim and not so talented little sister.

In response Elizabeth rebelled and the stricter her father was the more rebellious she became. Father was at a lost of what to do and finally out of desperation he sent Lizzy away to live with Aunt Joyce, her mother's sister who had no children of her own. The last time she had seen her sister it had been in a mental institution. Elizabeth had burned down her high school gym during a pep rally, endangering hundreds of lives. At first Sam couldn't believe that little Lizzy could have done such a thing. But when her frantic sister started spouting stories about vampires and demons Sam begun to see how unstable her sister had become. She and her father had wanted to take Elizabeth home then; but the doctors believed that what Elizabeth needed the most was a stable environment and uprooting her now would be detrimental to her mental health. That was years ago and for all she knew Elizabeth could still be there or even worse, in jail.

Sam went to college then followed her father's footsteps into the Air Force. Weeks became months then years until nearly five years had past since she had last spoken to her estranged sister. Sam knew that her father wasn't the only one to blame for her absence in Elizabeth's life. She was a grown woman after all and she certainly could have tried harder. But something more important always seemed to come up that needed her immediate attention and the few phone calls that she did make were always short and awkward. She supposed that her dream could be the subconscious manifestation of her guilt for not taking better care of her little sister after their mother died. Sam resolved to call Aunt Joyce in the morning and the next time Sam dreamed she dreamt of her mother.

* * *

Sam's forehead creased with confusion as she looked at the number in her hand with the phone receiver posed to her ear. The number was out of service and there wasn't another listing for Joyce Summers in LA.

Her head rose at a soft knock at her door. "Carter, is everything okay?" asked a middle age man in green fatigues with graying brown hair from the door way.

"Sir?" asked Carter in confusion.

Jack wiggled his fingers in front of his face. "You look distracted."

"Just thinking," assured Sam.

"Well that's your problem Carter. I try to avoid it myself. Why don't you take a break and join me in the mess hall? They got green Jell-O," said the colonel enticingly.

Sam smiled warmly at her commander. "Sure, sounds good." The blonde looked at the number one last time before placing it back into her desk. She had waited this long what would another day or two hurt. It could wait and her thoughts soon drifted back to more pressing matters such as work, the Stargate program and green Jell-O.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Sam's last mission served as a sufficient distraction, and she had not thought about her sister until days afterward. The mission had left her somewhat shaken. They had almost lost Daniel this time, and they still knew nothing about the powerful beings that created the crystal skull or how the device had managed to dematerialize Daniel into coexisting plane of existence. There was just so many questions left unanswered, and it only managed to strike home the fact that they knew next to nothing about the universe they had just begun to explore. Fortunately they did manage to get Daniel back with his grandfather's help. But the mission had left Sam feeling uncharacteristically depressed. Now that things were back to normal she couldn't help but be saddened by Daniel's strained relationship with the only surviving member of his family. She could remember the out right anger she felt on Daniel's behalf when Nick once again abandoned his grandson for the chance of adventure. There was just something incredibly sad about their story, and now they would probably never see each other again.

But what Sam found most discomforting was the fact that her relationship with her sister didn't fair much better than Daniel's relationship with Nick. Just like Nick had done to Daniel, Sam had neglected her relationship with her sister to pursue her own career; and, Sam resolved to try to deal with their issues before it was too late for them too.

Several weeks had passed before Sam finally got chance to contact her Aunt, but what she found left her speechless. Instead of her Aunt's new address, she had found a death certificate for one Joyce Summers. According to her medical reports she had died three years ago from a brain aneurysm after battling cancer for almost a year. But how could she have not known? Sure she hadn't spoken to her in a while but why haven't anyone bother to contact her? Sam didn't know her Aunt very well but from what she could remember she was a very kind and sweet woman. But despite her sudden melancholy Sam grew concerned for her sister's well being. For twelve years her Aunt had raised Lizzy as if she was her own, and the loss of a second mother figure must have been devastating to Lizzy after losing their own mother so many years ago. Sam was certain that fact that no one had contacted her was proof that something had gone terribly wrong. Sam looked frantically for any information on what might have happened to her sister, but the only thing she could find was the number to Uncle Hank's office in Spain, and she prayed that at least he would have more information on her sister's current whereabouts.

The phone rang four times before a young woman that sounded no more than twenty years old finally answered the phone. "Hello," bubbled a cheerful voice over the line.

"I'm sorry. I'm not sure if I have the right number. Is Hank Summers there?" asked Sam uncertainly.

"Just a sec… Honey it's for you."

There was moment pause before an older man spoke. "Hello this is Hank."

"Uncle Hank, it's Sam."

The line grew suddenly quiet, and just when Sam thought she had lost the connection Hank spoke. "Hello, Sam. How are you? Are you still in the army?"

"Air force, and yes I am."

"I hate to be rude, but I'm a bit busy right now…"

Sam grew anxious and interrupted Hank before the man could finish his sentence. "I just found out about Aunt Joyce. Why didn't anyone call me? I would have come to the funeral."

"Look Sam, I don't know why noone called you, but Joyce and I had been divorced for years when she died."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Is there anything else?" sighed Hank impatiently.

"Yes, well is there any chance that you have Lizzy's number? The only one I have is their old number in LA," asked Sam uncertainly.

Hank paused. "Sorry, we don't really talk anymore. The last time I heard they moved to a little town called Sunnydale in California. But I don't have the number. You could try looking her up, but she won't be listed under Elizabeth Carter. After the trouble in LA Joyce adopted her and had her name legally changed to Buffy Summers. Sorry it isn't more."

"Well, it's a start," said Sam disappointingly. Judging by what she heard it was obvious that Hank hadn't been a key member in her sister's life for years, which meant that poor Lizzy had been truly alone when Aunt Joyce died.

"I really have to go."

"Yes of course and thank you."

"And Sam I hate to say this, but I always remembered you as being a good girl. Buffy is the reason why my marriage didn't work out and now Joyce is dead. Be smart and take my advice: stay away from Buffy. The girl is trouble," he warned before the line went dead.

* * *

When Sam typed in the name Buffy Summers into her computer things got weird. Sam stared at her computer with the word classified blinking in bold letters across the screen. For some reason her sister's records had been sealed so tight that even her clearance couldn't gain access, and when she tried to pull up the local listings for Sunnydale the city didn't exist. Well not exactly, there was some evidence of a cover up as if someone had erased every mention of Sunnydale, CA from the Internet. As time passed Sam grew more worried. Instead of finding answers her search led to more questions. It took some effort and some hacking, but after several hours of work she managed to get only one word, the Initiative. She didn't know what it meant, but it was some how connected to her sister, and she was certain that once she found out what the Initiative was she would find out what had happen to her sister. But she needed help. She had already gone as far she could on her own. She needed someone with higher access than her.

Sam left her office in a daze with a printout clutched to her chest. Her mind was so preoccupied that she nearly ran into Daniel and Jack in the hall.

"Sam, are you okay? You look pale," asked Daniel in concern.

"No, I'm not," admitted Sam hauntingly before she turned a strain face to Jack. "Sir, I need your help."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Sir what do you know about an organization called the Initiative," asked Sam.

Jack's eyebrows rose in surprise at the odd question than bunched together in thought. He had not heard that word in many years and even than it was uttered in hushed tones. "Not much, all I know is what I heard from rumors, just talk of some super secret program run by the N.I.D."

Sam's voice rose with hope. "Can you find out more? I've tried but I don't have the clearance."

"Why?"

"If you don't mind sir I rather not say it's… personal."

Jack grew concern, Carter wasn't normally so tight lip. His second in command wasn't inclined to keep secrets from him. She spoke her mind freely and usually without any prompting by him. Especially if it involved a new fangled piece of alien technology that they found off world, then he was hard pressed to get her to shut up. "Carter what's this about?" asked the middle age man in concern.

"Please sir, just trust me that it has nothing to do with SGC. I just need to know what the Initiative is," pleaded Sam beseechingly.

The Colonel's immediate reaction was to say no but the slight infliction in Sam's voice weakened his resolve. "Okay Carter, but the moment this becomes a problem you have to tell me what's going on."

"Yes Sir," smiled the blonde in thanks.

* * *

Jack's office was neat and tidy as if it was seldom used which was highly probable considering that he was seldom there. The Colonel preferred to roam the base between missions and hang around in other people's offices like a bothersome child looking for something or someone to alleviate his boredom. In most cases he could be found cruising the halls, rummaging through Daniel's office or visiting Sam's lab. So it was a rare sight to see SG-1 gathered around his desk as Jack typed in his password into his computer.

"Okay that was weird," announced Jack suddenly.

"What sir?" asked Sam as she moved around the desk to peer over his shoulder.

"I got nothing."

"What do you mean?" inquired Daniel curiously.

"I mean nada, zip, less then zero as in my access was denied."

"That can't be right?" exclaimed Sam exasperatedly as her eyes skimmed across the screen. "Colonel as second in command you have complete access to SGC, the most top secret facility in the world and now you telling me that your clearance isn't high enough to gain access to the Initiative's records?"

"It does indeed appear to be what O'Neill is saying," offered Teal'c thoughtfully as his large muscular body stood tall next to the door.

"Lizzy what have you gotten yourself into," murmured Sam to herself.

The Colonel swiveled in his seat and leveled a serious look on the Major's face. "Alright Carter, I think I have been pretty patient so far but now it's show and tell time. What's going on?"

"I think the Initiative has something to do with my sister's disappearance."

"I thought you had a brother," inquired Jack in confusion.

"Yes sir, but by the time Lizzy was born Mark had already moved out of the house and I had just begun high school. Lizzy was unexpected," offered Sam as an explanation.

"Why haven't you mention her before," asked Daniel a bit hurt. He couldn't believe that Sam had kept something as significant as a sister from him after he had shared his own painful past with her.

The blonde astrophysicist frowned apologetically at Daniel's sad blue eyes. "To be honest I was ashamed. Lizzy had always been a bit unstable and after our mother died she was sent away to stay with my Aunt in LA. When I first joined the air force I wanted to become astronaut but the physical and the mental requirements for the program was incredibly strict. I didn't want my family history to jeopardize my chances so I conveniently left her name off my application. I haven't spoken or seen her in years. Now she has disappeared and I'm worried that something terrible has happened to her."

"So what does she have to do with the Initiative?"

"I don't know sir. All I know is that she is involved some how."

"Perhaps the Initiative is responsible for MajorCarter's sister's disappearance," offered Teal'c solemnly.

"It would explain why her records have been classified," added Daniel thoughtfully.

"I'm sorry Carter, but from what I have heard the N.I.D. was into some nasty stuff. Your sister may be in some real trouble."

Before they could continue their speculation on what exactly the Initiative could be the intercom pierced through the relatively quiet office, temporally ceasing any further discussion on the subject. "Colonel Jack O'Neill and Major Samantha Carter please report immediately to General Hammond's office…repeat…Colonel Jack O'Neill and Major Samantha Carter please report immediately to General Hammond's office.

* * *

A large bald man with a stern face leveled his sturdy gaze on them. "Would any of you like to explain to me why I just got a call from the pentagon asking why you and Major Carter were attempting to gain access to some highly restricted documents?" drawled the General irritably.

"It's a personal project of mine sir. Colonel O'Neill had nothing to do with it."

"That's not true sir. I chose to help Major Carter with her research."

"Frankly I don't care whose idea it was, your research has raised some eyebrows in Washington and I like to know why?" asked the General as he looked expectantly upon their faces.

Sam looked at Jack and the man shrugged his shoulders as if to say that it was her call. Sam sighed tiredly and turned to face her superior. "We were looking for my sister sir. We believed that she some how is involved with something call the Initiative."

"Have you contacted the local authorities," asked Hammond in concern.

"I have tired that sir but since they have no record of a Buffy Summers living in Sunnydale and the local LA police are reluctant to get involved."

The general grew silent, and gave Carter a long look. "I see what I can find out but until than I'm ordering you to immediately cease your investigation. Is that clear?"

"Crystal."

"Good. You're dismissed."

The general watched them leave his office before he picked up the phone and proceeded to make a series of calls.

* * *

Four hours later SG-1 was called back to the debriefing room and Sam's heart leapt up into her throat when she saw the grave look on the General's face. The General directed them to take a seat and Sam braced herself to receive what must be unpleasant news to have put such a dire look on the old man's face. "I'm sorry Major but I couldn't gain direct access to the Initiative or your sister's records. Whatever the Initiative is it seems to be on a need to know bases and I been informed that I do not need to know."

Sam started in surprise. She hadn't expected that. She had thought if anyone could get information on her sister the general could and she had prepared herself to hear bad news but the lack of both left her confused and frustrated. Her brain raced to find a logical reason why her sister's records would require such high security but she couldn't imagine how an ordinary teenage girl could garner so much attention from the U.S. government. Even though in reality Lizzy must have been in her early twenties by now Sam still thought of her as a child and when she thought of her sister the image of a scared and troubled fifteen year old girl with no means of protecting herself popped into her mind.

"But it's her sister," cried Daniel in out rage. "They have no right to keep that sort of information from Sam."

"Yes I did stress that fact but unfortunately that wasn't good enough."

"Gee you would think they would make an exception. I guess saving the world a couple times doesn't go as far as it use to," hedged Jack sarcastically.

The general gave the colonel a faint amused smile before he continued. "Yes well, I was able to make a few inquiries in your behalf with some of my contacts in Washington. They didn't want to say anything over the phone but they have agreed to send some people to investigate the matter. That was several hours ago and they should be arriving any moment now."


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Major Davis entered the briefing room in dressed blues followed by a young man with light brown hair wearing a black combat suit that screamed Special Forces. His demeanor was somewhat aloof as he carefully scanned the room suspiciously.

"Major Davis, Agent Finn, thank you for coming on such a short notice."

"You're welcome sir. I only wished that it was under different circumstances," offered Davis apologetically. Major Davis handed Major Carter a police photo of a sixteen year old girl with long blonde hair that had a striking resemblance to her mother. "Major Carter how do you know this woman?"

"She's my sister," answered Sam shakily as she ran nervous fingers over photograph. Lizzy looked so young but her eyes was not that of a teen age girl. They looked haunted as if she had seen something so terrible that it aged her beyond her years.

At Sam's declaration Agent Finn sat up straighter and began to openly study the female officer with renewed interest.

"And what exactly do you know of her and her current activities?" questioned Major Davis.

"What is this all about?" asked Sam fearfully as her concern for her sister grew exponentially with each passing second.

"Please ma'am, indulge me for a few more moments."

"Well from what I can remember she was a typical teenage girl obsessed with cheerleading, clothes and boys until she became delusional a few years ago and the last time I saw her she was being monitored in a mental institution. I…I don't really know what happened to her after that. I should have kept in touch," answered Sam sadly as she slowly shook her head is self admonishment. She could only conclude from the police photo that Lizzy had come into some sort of trouble with the law at an early age. Her sister had become criminal and now she had done something so horrible that she was now wanted by government.

Agent Finn seemed to be impressed by the level of sincerity in Sam's voice and with a nod signaled Major Davis to proceed.

Major Davis began to hand out several thick red folders, marking them as top secret. "This is all the information the US government has on Buffy Summers and The Initiative. The content of these folders and what I'm about to tell you is top secret and can not leave this room."

"Whoa wait a minute," interrupted O'Neill in astonishment. "What's with all this cloak and dagger crap. I understand the need for discretion but we have the Stargate, what's so important about The Initiative to warrant all this secrecy."

"Colonel, the Stargate program represents a possible threat, although real it remains a distant threat and has yet to reach our planet. What we are about to discuss here is a current and continued threat to the American people that would most likely cause mass panic among the populous if it was to ever get out to the public."

The General and SG-1, with the exception of Teal'c, nodded with various degrees of shock.

"We first came aware of your sister's existence in Sunnydale, California where the N.I.D. was experimenting on various sub-terrestrial life forms," continued Davis.

"You mean extraterrestrial life forms," interjected Daniel helpfully.

"No sir I meant sub-terrestrial beings that originated on earth and in some cases predated human development."

"What!"

"I know this might sound…well crazy for lack of a better word, but The Initiative prime directive was the capture and study of these sub-terrestrial beings."

Jack carelessly flipped the folder open to reveal a sketchy photo from a surveillance camera of a menacing looking creature with scales and ram shaped horns on both sides of his head. The caption underneath read iHostile 13 aka Fyral demon./i "Oh come on, demons? You can't expect us to believe this?" exclaimed the older man as he pointed to the picture. "I've seen better photographs of Bigfoot."

"It's no more incredible than the existence of aliens, Colonel," replied Davis coolly.

"He does have a point Jack."

Jack turned and looked at Daniel is disbelief. "You're not telling me that you believe this crap?"

"Not necessarily, but I am willing to keep an open mind. There are countless records of the existence of such beings in our ancient history. It is only logical that the same people who once thought of the Goa'uld as Gods would have thought other beings as demons. It's really fascinating really. The implications of the existence of such powerful beings would have on our culture would be astronomical," said the archaeologist distractedly as he mentally contemplate the significant of demons in anthropology.

"I too have heard tales amongst the Jaffa of dark creatures that even the Goa'uld feared," agreed Teal'c.

Jack on the other hand shuttered at the thought of what type of beings would be considered so much more evil than the Goa'uld that they would have been called demons by comparison. In his opinion they would have to be pretty evil to out shine the snakes.

"I'm sorry, but I don't understand how any of this has to do with my sister," asked Sam impatiently.

Major Davis nodded his head apologetically. "During one of The Initiative's missions the agents encountered a young woman that hunted these creatures with surprising amount of success. She called herself the slayer, one girl in the entire world born to stand alone to fight the darkness. That girl was your sister, Major Carter. She and her group had been fighting these creatures for years. All we have is the bits and pieces of information that The Initiative managed to collect on the group before the project was abandoned but what we have seen was very impressive. They were by far more effective than The Initiative ever was."

"This can't be the same person. My sister was a cheerleader for heaven's sakes not some kind of vigilante," exclaimed Sam in disbelief.

"Believe me it's all true and we have been monitoring the group's activities from a distance ever since we learned of their existence. Until now The United States Government has maintained a hands-off approach, surveillance with no interference."

"I sense a big but here," interjected Jack suspiciously.

Major Davis nodded his head. "Three weeks ago the town known as Sunnydale disappeared."

"What do you mean disappeared?" asked the General.

"What I mean sir where there was once a town there is now a crater."

"Was it some sort of attack?" asked the Colonel gravely.

Davis shook his head. "There was no sign of an explosion or any seismic activity in the area that would explain what happened. The town simply collapsed on itself and two weeks prior the event there was an mass expedition from the city's population, which indicated that it wasn't a mere accident. They saw it coming and whatever it was had them running scared."

"Is my sister okay?" asked Sam in trepidation.

"Our intelligence confirms that she did escape along with a small group of people just moments before the destruction."

The blonde sighed in relief then turned to the General. "Sir may I have permission to contact my father? He should know what's going on."

Hammond shook his head apologetically. "Sorry Major, but this information is too sensitive to divulge to the Tok'ra at least not until we know more."

"Surely you don't think Sam's sister had anything to do with the destruction of the town?" asked Daniel thoughtfully.

"Frankly we don't know. But it is most likely that she was involved somehow. The president wants SG-1 to investigate the situation and if possible make contact with the group. He hopes that with your unique experience and Major Carter's personal connection you will succeed where other teams have failed. Agent Finn will brief you on the mission. He was a former agent assigned to The Initiative and has had direct contact with Ms. Summers."

"What sort of contact did you have with my sister Agent Finn?"

"We dated for a short time," answered the young man.

One grey eyebrow rose. "Really, do you think that was appropriate," asked Jack disapprovingly.

Riley shrugged unapologetically. "There were unique circumstances."

"So what do you know about Buffy Summers," interjected Daniel in the effort to steer the conversion back on topic.

"Buffy is extremely mistrustful towards anyone in authority, especially the military and for a good reason. If you approach her be honest, treat her like an equal and for your own sake don't try to force the issue. If Sunnydale is truly gone, something really bad went down and Buffy may not be the same person you or even I remember any more," he warned.

"Trying to protect your girlfriend Finn?" mocked Jack in response to the young man's fervor.

"Ex girlfriend sir and Buffy doesn't need my protection she can take care of herself. It's you that I'm worried about. The last time the military intervened with Sunnydale I lost the majority of my unit. If it wasn't for Buffy a lot more people would have died. She saved our asses back there and I owe her my life. And in all honesty sir, the only reason I'm cooperating now is because Major Carter is family and she deserves to know what has happen to her sister. But if I thought for one moment that your motives weren't sincere I would be more than happy to watch you get your ass handed to you on a silver platter," answered Riley sincerely. He and Buffy had resolved their issues long ago and he wasn't about to let anyone make him feel bad about something that didn't exist anymore. But that didn't mean to say he would betray Buffy's trust by spilling all of her secrets to the military. He neither elaborated nor volunteered any more information that what the Initiative had already collected. The rest they would just have to ask Buffy herself.

Jack looked the young soldier in the eye and after a brief staring contest was satisfied with what he saw. Agent Finn seemed honest enough and the man didn't appear to have any problems with telling them the truth even if he risked the disproval of a superior officer. Even though Agent Finn's conduct towards Sam's kid sister didn't exactly follow regulations he didn't want his team to walk into a situation unprepared just because the man harbored feelings for an old fling. "Then I just have one question. What exactly happened to the other teams you sent before us?"

Davis grimaced. "Let just say they met with some resistance."


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

SG-1 listened with rapt attention and quiet disbelief as Agent Finn recalled his exploits with the Initiative. But even though his story was fascinating there was a genuine sense of skepticism from SG-1; and as soon as Major Davis and Agent Finn left Jack was the first to voice his doubts. "This is a joke right?"

"Colonel, the president has assured me that this is in fact not a joke," said General Hammond seriously.

"But demons and vampires, come on! The whole thing sounds like a really, really bad B-movie."

Sam shook her head in disbelief. As a scientist and a rational human being she could not accept the story that Agent Finn had told her. "I'm sorry General, but I find this all too hard to believe. Agent Finn had already admitted to be under the influence of a highly experimental drug at the time. He could have been experiencing hallucinations facilitated by the drug. And that doesn't even account for the possible scientific explanations such as mutation or an experiment gone wrong."

Daniel nodded in agreement. He tried to be open minded since his own theories tend to be a bit unorthodox, but the story seemed a bit too fanciful even by his standards. "I have to agree with Sam. Just because they called these things demons doesn't necessarily mean that is what they are. They could still be in fact aliens masquerading as demons."

"I am also inclined to agree with DanielJackson. The Goa'uld, under the disguise of Gods, had used similar techniques in the past to instill fear in their enemies," said Teal'c.

"I just don't trust him," said Jack thoughtfully.

"Do you think Agent Finn has been compromised?" asked Sam.

Jack shrugged. "I don't know? He's hiding something and did anyone else notice how defensive he got when we asked him about Sam's sister."

"He could be just trying to protect her. They were involved," offered Daniel.

"But from what and why?" Jack shook his head as his bushy eyebrows bunched up in frustration. "I just have a feeling that he's not telling us everything."

Hammond nodded in agreement. The Colonel had an uncanny ability to sniff out trouble and over the years he had learned to trust the man's instincts. "Unfortunately Colonel I can't call off the mission base on a hunch. The president has asked complete unaccountability so you're on your own."

"Where are we going anyway?"

"Cleveland, Ohio."

* * *

Jack slid into Daniel's office avoiding the towers of books stacked preciously on the floor as he maneuvered his way towards the archeologist's desk. "Are you ready to go?"

"Almost, I'm just packing some reference material on demonology and the occult. There aren't many experts on the subject out there, but I did find one viable source that didn't sound like a complete crackpot. A Mr. Rupert Giles from the British Museum, but I haven't been able to contact him."

"I thought you didn't believe in this demon crap?"

"Well it never hurts to be prepared," mumbled Daniel distractingly as he sorted through a pile of books.

"If you say so," he said.

Daniel stopped what he was doing and gave the older man a closer look. "Is something wrong Jack?"

"I was thinking…"

"Ah," said Daniel knowingly.

Jack glared at Daniel's amused smile. "We have been going through the gate for about four years now and would you agree that we have seen some really weird stuff?"

"Yeah I guess so."

"So why is this the first time we ever heard of these 'demons'," said Jack as he made quotation marks in the air. "I mean these things have been supposedly around for thousands of years."

"Well the same could be said about Goa'uld and they had been worshiped as Egyptian Gods on earth for over millennium."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But the snakes haven't been around for years. It just doesn't add up. The more I think about it the more the whole thing smells like a cover up to me. I think something big happened, something unexpected and now they don't know how to handle it."

"Maybe that's why they are sending us to Cleveland, to find out what's going on."

"I guess you could be right," said Jack skeptically. "So do you need any help with this stuff?"

"Yeah if you can grab that box on my desk, I'll be ready to go."

Jack grunted as he lifted the cardboard box from Daniel's desk. "Geez Danny, this thing weights a ton. You do know there's a weight limit on the plane, right."

* * *

Sam was unusually quiet throughout their two hour flight and Daniel began to grow concern when she remained silent during their ride to the hotel. Teal'c and Jack had left the suite over an hour ago to take a quick look around city. The silence had gone on for far too long and now Daniel was sure that something was wrong. "Sam, are you alright?"

When she didn't immediately answered Daniel sat down next to her on the sofa and watched the blonde woman stared at the old police photo of Buffy Summers that they had found in the file. "Is this about your sister?" ventured Daniel carefully.

"She looks so different," answered Sam as she absently rubbed her thumb over the edge of photograph with delicate care. "It just hit me that she looks older than I remember her. The last time I saw her she had just turned fifteen. I missed so much."

"I'm sure she would understand Sam," said Daniel reassuringly.

"Understand what? How Dad and I practically abandoned her after mom died or why I never bother to call and see if she was okay in over three years when she obviously needed my help? How could she forgive me for that?" asked Sam miserably.

"I'm sure once you explained things to her she would forgive you."

"Did you forgive your grandfather after he had abandoned you in an orphanage after your parents had died?" As soon as she said it Sam regretted her words. "Oh god Daniel I didn't mean to say that." But it was too late as Daniel drew back as if he had been slapped. He had closed his eyes and when he opened them again Sam hated herself for the pain that she had placed in those kind blue eyes.

"It's okay Sam," whispered Daniel emotionally. "If...if Nick had shown any real concern or any regret afterwards, then yes maybe. But that's the difference between you and him. You still care. I know that you haven't been there for your sister in the past but you can't change that. The best thing you can do right now is be there for her now. Your sister is lucky that she still has a family that cares. "

Sam nodded and after a moment of silence placed her hand in Daniel's. When he looked up in confusion Sam gave the brunet a small smile. "So do you Daniel, if you have me."

Daniel squeezed Sam's hand in return and nodded gratefully as he tried to swallow the lump that had developed in his throat. Nick may have been related to him by blood but after all these years he had found a new family in Sam and SG-1.

* * *

Three teenage girls and a dark haired woman that looked like she was in her early twenties, stared down at the pair of motionless bodies at their feet.

"Are these the guys that have been following us?" asked the older woman.

"Yep, they had been trailing us for a couple blocks or so. I think they saw us dust that vamp over by Maggie's. Think they're more of those soldier guys?"

The dark hair woman kicked one of the bodies with her booted foot. "I don't know? This one doesn't feel human to me and he could sure throw one hell of a punch."

"You think he's a vamp?" asked one of the girls.

"Na stupid, he's still breathing. He's probably a demon."

"So what do we do now?"

"I guess we better take them home and have Willow take a look at them. If they turned out to be military she could wipe their memories again. Man, B is going to be so pissed. This is the third time this month we caught these guys sniffing around."

"Ah, I'm tiiired. Can we just throw them in the dumpster or something?" whined a girl with short curly brown hair.

The dark woman stared at the girl until she huffed in defeat. "Fine but I'm not carrying the big one."


	6. Chapter 5

AN: I give my deepest apologies to all my readers for the year long wait. But unfortunately I can't seem to find the time to write anymore. But don't worry, I do plan to finish this story. Thanks for your patience.

* * *

Chapter 5

Teal'c awoke to the sound of people talking over him. The voices sounded young if not friendly judging by the ropes that tightly bound his hands and feet. He was undoubtedly a prisoner and Teal'c kept his eyes closed as he silently listened to the conservation.

"Are they secured?" asked Buffy as she gestured to the two slumped forms resting against the wall.

"Yep, they're all tied up and I don't mean in a good way," said Willow cheerfully.

There was a long moment of silence and Teal'c held his breath, fearing that someone had discovered him until finally someone spoke. "What kind of kinky stuff you and Kennedy have been getting up too? On second thought, never mind, I don't want to know."

The dark slayer slid up next to the blushing redhead and threw a friendly arm around the witch's shoulders. "Way to go Red. Or should I call you Mistress Red," she purred.

The single male member of the group face paled as he covered his ears with his hands. "Too much information!" cried Xander in denial.

Buffy shook her head in mild amusement. "Changing the subject now, who do you think these guys are?"

Faith shrugged. "They're probably more of those solider guys."

"But if they're military why do they have a demon working for them?" asked Dawn curiously from where she sat on top of the basement stairs.

"Dawnie! I thought I told you to stay upstairs," scowled Buffy in irritation.

"Oh come on Buffy, what are they going to do? They're unconscious and technically I'm still upstairs," she argued.

Buffy crossed her arms over her chest and gave her little sister a stern look. "That is so not the point."

"This is so not fair," grumbled Dawn as she stomped back upstairs.

Faith watched the angry teen's antics with amusement. "The brat has a point though. Why would a demon help the military?" asked Faith.

"He could be chipped," said Xander.

"Or a half demon, though I've never seen one like him before and what's with the gold tattoo on his forehead?" added Buffy thoughtfully.

Willow peered thoughtfully at the symbol. "I don't know? It looks Egyptian, but not? Giles would know."

"You know guys I hate to put a stop to this thrilling game of Guess Who. But we could just check their wallets," said Xander.

"Party pooper," snorted Buffy as began to search through the older man's clothes.

Faith followed suit as her hands began to roam freely across the larger man's body.

To Teal'c surprise his Goa'uld symbiote seemed to recoil in fear as the woman's proximity. Only during kelnorim, when he was in deep mediation, was he able to get a vague sense of his symbiote's emotions. But the symbiote's fear was so strong and sharp he had no problem sensing it now. It was an emotion based more on instinct rather than actual memories as if the young Goa'uld could sense something from this woman that he could not. Perhaps there was some truth in the old legends among his people that there were creatures that even the Goa'uld feared.

"Damn, he's fit," murmured Faith appreciably as she ran her hands over the black man's broad muscular chest.

Willow cried out in out in outrage, "Faith! We're the good guys remember and the good guys do not feel up their prisoners especially while they are still unconscious!"

"Just being thorough," smirked Faith unapologetically as she stepped away empty handed, "didn't find anything though."

"Aha!" shouted Buffy in triumphant as she fished a wallet from the older man's jacket and opened it. "Colonel Jonathan O'Neill, USAF," read Buffy out loud.

"USAF? United States Air Force, they're definitely military. But what does the Air Force have to do with demons?" asked Xander curiously.

"Who cares? What I really want to know is why these people keep popping up even after Willow erased their memories? When Sunnydale collapsed we made doubly sure that all of our tracks were covered. I don't want anyone like the initiative getting their hands on the baby slayers."

The light cheerful atmosphere grew somber at Buffy's words. Now that all the slayers were active there was a virtual army of young girls magically endowed with super strength scattered across the world. The group shuddered at the thought of someone like Dr. Walsh getting hold of one of them. The Watcher's Council was still recouping from The First's attack and it would take time before the new council was fully operational, so until than it was imperative that the new slayers remained a secret.

"Okay Buff, what do you want us to do?" asked Xander soberly.

"Xan, you and Faith take some of the older slayers on patrol and see what you can find out on the street. There still maybe more of these guys out there. Willow and Dawn, see if you find any information on our two friends here, I don't care if you have to hack into the pentagon, just don't get caught. And I'll call Giles in London and see if he has any ideas. We'll meet back here in two hours and hopefully by than these guys will be awake enough to answer some of our questions," said Buffy with practiced authority.

A few moments later there was a rush of stomping feet and the room fell quiet. Teal'c slowly opened his eyes to an empty room and frowned. These Taur'i manners of speaking were very strange, but fortunately he had gained enough experience from O'Neill's own unique form of speech to understand most of the conversation. The mere fact that these people thought that he was a demon seemed to validate the theory that the demons they spoke of may be in fact aliens in disguise.

What it didn't explain was what these people were? It was obvious that these were the people that they had been searching for, but his symbiote's strange reaction seemed to suggest that these people weren't entirely human either. Teal'c had never seen a Tau'ri possessed such strength and agility that he had witnessed in the alley. He and O'Neill had been investigating a noise in the alley when they had been ambushed. They had knocked out O'Neill within seconds into the fight. However he had managed to last a little bit longer allowing himself to get a good look at their attackers before he was subdued and what he saw astounded him. They were all children and none of them were over twenty years of age expected for one. The woman was strong, too strong and she moved with a grace that would rival any honed Jaffa warrior. The battle had been fierce but short lived and despite his best efforts his opponent had defeated him in a matter of minutes. The reports that he had read implied that Buffy Summers was an excellent fighter. However the woman that he had fought did not match the photograph of SamathaCarter's sister. But perhaps these abilities weren't as uncommon in this world as he had first thought. The conversation that he overheard did seem to suggest that there was more than one slayer than the initiative had first reported.

* * *

Nearly an hour had past before O'Neill showed any signs of life and with a groan of pain Jack opened his eyes. "Uh, did anyone catch the license plate of that truck?" asked Jack as he moved his stiff body from his awkward position on the floor to more comfortable position against the wall. His throbbing head shouted its protest against any movement what so ever but his aching knees demanded it. Man, he hated getting old.

"What truck?" asked Teal'c in confusion.

Jack shook his head in bemusement as he took in his surroundings. "Never mind, it's just an expression. So what happened?"

"We have been captured by the very group we wish to seek."

"Okay, but why the hell did they tie us up," asked the Colonel in irritation.

"Agent Finn seemed to have been correct in his assumptions. They do not trust the military and they see us as a threat."

Well that was an understatement if Jack ever heard one. He can understand simple paranoia but this was ridiculous. "Great, anything else?"

Teal'c paused then spoke carefully as if he was afraid of being overheard. "They do not believe I'm human."

Jack swore. "Oh that's just freaking fantastic! The General is going to love this. Not only did we manage to get captured on our very first day here but now we have to worry about a breach in security. Things couldn't possibly get any worst."

"You wanna bet," answered a small blonde woman standing from the top of the stairs with a glass of water in one hand and a meat cleaver in the other.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Buffy hung up the phone with a sign of frustration. Giles didn't recognize the strange symbol on the demon's forehead, but promised to call back as soon as he found something. Xander and Faith had returned empty handed and Willow's preliminary computer search on the two strangers was a complete bust. Apparently their files were locked up tighter than Fort Knox and it will take the hacker a couple of days to break through the pentagon's high security system. Buffy hated waiting. She was action girl after all. Most of her problems could be solved with a stake through the heart, with the exception of her love life and even then staking was optional.

Buffy had stupidly thought that activating all the slayers would make her life easier. She was not alone anymore. Instead of being the chosen one she was now one among many. It was no longer her singular duty to fight the overwhelming darkness. So her life should have gotten easier, right. Well the joke was on her. With the council out of commission the newly activated and confused slayers turned to her, the longest living slayer in history, for guidance. Suddenly Buffy was thrust into a position of authority that she had never wanted. She was so over her head that it wasn't even funny.

If you needed a demon slain or an apocalypse averted she was the girl to call, however running an international super secret organization was not her forte. She couldn't keep a secret even if her life depended on it. Seriously it took Willow and Xander all of two seconds to find out that she was a slayer. And if the government was stupid enough to start exterminating with demons again their paths were bound to cross. So how was she supposed to keep Uncle Sam from learning about the other slayers? It had only been a month since the battle with the First and most of the new slayers were either still recovering from the battle or too inexperience to deal with another threat right now. She may not have wanted the job but she wasn't about to shirk her responsibilities. There were lives on the line and she was going to do everything in her power to protect them. But to do that she needed information and Buffy knew exactly where to get it. It was time for her to meet their guest.

* * *

Jack was fairly surprised by the group of kids that descended the stairs. This was supposed to be the hot shot team that single handedly shut down the Initiative that Agent Finn warned them about? For crying out loud none of them looked old enough to drink alcohol. And their leader, well Jack didn't know what he had expected but he hadn't expected for her to be so young and short. Sam wasn't exactly tall, but compared to her little sister Carter was practically a giant. But Jack knew that looks could be deceiving and he had to admit the girl sure knew how to make an entrance.

Buffy placed the glass of water on the table leaving the butcher knife in her right hand.

Jack glanced suspiciously at the glass. "If you think we're going to drink that you're crazy."

The blonde leveled her hazel eyes on the Colonel. "The water not for you, it's for me," said Buffy as she ran her free hand over her stylish clothes. "You have no idea how hard it is to get blood stains out of silk."

"Is that a threat? Because if it is, well I have to admit it's a pretty good one."

"The way I see it you have two options. You can tell us what we want to know willing or unwilling, your choice," said Buffy as she expertly twirled the knife in her hand.

"Um, can I go for option three, where you let us go and we won't press charges for kidnapping?"

Buffy shook her head. "Not, until you tell us who you work for and why you're here."

Okay it was time for damage control. Telling them the truth was out the question and they probably wouldn't believe him anyway. Jack's best course of action was to lie until his face turned blue and hopefully they would buy the bullshit that was about to spill out of his mouth. "We're just a couple of tourist on vacation looking for a good time."

The man with the eye patch snorted in amusement. "Please like we're going to fall for that."

Jack winced. Even he wouldn't believe that. But it was hard to come up with a plausible cover story when someone was waving a knife in your face.

"Look we're not stupid. We know you work for the military and that he's a demon."

Jack looked at the blonde as if she was crazy. Demon? Well that was a first. Sure Teal'c wasn't exactly human but calling him a demon was a bit of stretch. It wasn't like he looked like an alien and except for the tattoo on his forehead the guy looked completely normal. "Whoa, whoa. Who said anything about demons? Murray here is completely human."

"Yeah right, and the thing growing in 'Murray's' stomach is just a really, really big tape worm."

Jack frowned. How the hell did they know about junior? "Aren't you a little too young to be so cynical."

"Well aren't a little too old to be so stupid?" said the tall brunette with a slight Boston accent.

"Hey!" yelled Jack in outrage. There was no need to get personal.

The blonde midget, as Jack began to call Buffy in his head, lifted her hand in truce. "Alright, can we please just skip the messy torture bit and get to the part where you spill your guts?"

"See that what's wrong with kids today, always wanting something for nothing," said Jack.

"Are you sure? Now this is not gonna be pretty. We're talking violence, strong language, R-rated kind of stuff."

Jack crossed his arms over his chest and snapped his mouth shut.

"Okay if that's the way you want it," said Buffy as she took a menacing step forward.

Teal'c flinched as the young woman approached him. His symbiote's reaction to this woman was even stronger than the first. It was disconcerting to feel so much fear from his usually dormant Goa'uld. If Teal'c didn't know that his symbiote was too young to survive outside of its pouch he would of thought it would burst out of his stomach in an attempt to escape her presence.

The demon as a whole didn't feel evil, which was kind of weird. Buffy could sense two separate entities, in which only one gave her a slight buzz indicating that he wasn't quite human, while the other set off all kinds of bells in her internal demon-meter. He had not spoken a single word throughout the interrogation and she was beginning to seriously think that maybe he didn't understand English at all. There was about a dozen different demon languages Buffy could try but the only one she was fluent in was Klingon after Andrew had forced them all to watch a twelve hour star trek marathon with him.

Jack narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Not many things could get a reaction from the big guy but something had definitely spooked him judging by the confused look on his friend's face.

Buffy turned to the older man. At this distant she could make out the fine wrinkles that creased his forehead and the corner of his eyes. He had a rather hard face that spoke of a hard life. But the lines around the corner of his mouth showed a smile was just as easy to touch his lips as a frown. He was an older man still in his prime with only a slight bulge around the middle. Overall she would definitely call him good looking if not handsome if he ever chose to smile, but right now his jaw was clenched into an obstinate scowl. "They're not going to talk," sighed Buffy in resignation.

"What? Is that it? You didn't even break the skin," asked Kennedy incredibly.

Willow placed a calming hand on her girlfriend's shoulder. "Kennedy, we don't hurt humans."

Well that was comforting thought Jack.

"Maybe you don't, but I sure the hell can."

Maybe he spoke a little soon.

"Whoa girl, believe me you don't want to go down that road," said Faith knowingly.

"Faith's right and besides we got other ways of making people talk. Willow, do your thing."

Jack had no idea what Willow's thing was but he was sure as hell didn't want her to do it to him. As a rule he usually didn't give in to threats, but they did came here for reason. "Wait, we know your sister," said Jack resignedly.

Buffy stiffened. "What do you want with Dawn?" she demanded.

The Colonel was complete surprise by the sudden wave of hostility coming off the blonde. "Dawn? Who's Dawn?" asked Jack in confusion.

"He doesn't know B's sister. He's talking out of his ass," said Faith.

"O'Neill speaks the truth. We do know Samantha Carter," said Teal'c in perfect English much to everyone's surprise.

Buffy bit her lip and the once confident woman suddenly seemed much younger. "You know Sam?"

Xander raised his hand in confusion. "Wait I'm confuse. I thought we were talking about your sister, who is this Sam person?"

"I think Sam IS Buffy's sister," guessed Willow.

"Oh…," muttered Xander in confusion than after a beat he screamed. "WHAT!

"Look it's kinda of a long story way too long to get into right now," if ever added Buffy silently, "but right now we got bigger fish to fry."

Once she had temporally succeeded in deflecting her curious friends' questions. Buffy turned her ire on the two prisoners. "I don't know what your game is. But mentioning my old family was definitely not the way to go. Whatever ties I had with those people died a long time ago."

"It's not…"

Buffy cut him off. "I heard enough. Do it Willow."

A young woman with long red hair approached them with her hands stretched out in front of her. Jack's eyes grew wide as her hair and eyes began darken with each step she took. Jack shook his head in disbelief. It must be a trick of the light.

"Sorry this may hurt a little. But don't worry you won't remember a thing."

* * *

Jack barely knocked on the door before it flew open underneath his hand to reveal his very agitated second in command.

"Sir, Teal'c! Where have you been?" asked Carter as she literally pulled him into the hotel room.

"What are you talking about? We're only been gone for a few minutes."

Daniel shook his head. "Jack you're been gone for hours. We were just about to call the General."

Jack looked at Teal'c and the Jaffa just shook his head in bewilderment. "Damnit! Someone slipped us a micky."


End file.
